Sofa / dining set

ABSTRACT

The invention is an article of furniture that can be used as either a sofa or a dining table with chairs. When in sofa configuration the furnishing contains a row of individual seating units resting in a frame. The frame provides the arms and back of the sofa. To change to dining configuration each seating unit is separated from the frame and raised to a higher seat elevation and shorter seat depth by lifting the seat top up and pulling the seat back forward. The sofa frame becomes a dining table by tilting it forward 90 degrees, rotating the arms 180 degrees, and unfolding the table flap.

BACKGROUND

The accelerating trend of city dwellers to inhabit increasingly smaller apartments is the natural result of economics, geography and ecology. This surge in “micro-dwelling” has stirred a new need in its practitioners for home furnishings that not only fit into their diminutive habitats but also serve multiple duties. The Murphy Bed is back!

Perhaps the two largest furniture items that are prerequisites for gracious living are a comfortable sofa and a large dining table with chairs. Although both require large areas of floor it can be noted that they are almost never used simultaneously. A single furnishing that could be easily transformed from a full size upholstered sofa to a large dining table and a set of dining chairs would be an elegant answer to many prayers. The proposed invention does just that and does it without any compromises in function or beauty in either configuration. It also contains something else that micro-dwellers are desperate for: Storage space!

As a sofa the invention has fully upholstered bench seating with comfortably inclined and upholstered back rest. Two wide armrests also serve as end tables and drink rests. A modern rectilinear look unites the appearance of its features.

As a dining set the invention offers four (in the prototype embodiment) upright upholstered chairs at a comfortable seating height with straight upholstered backs. their appearance is both unique and elegant. The table is large (the prototype embodiment seats 8) and every potential dining position around the table has ample leg room, unencumbered by the sturdy recessed table legs. Transitioning from sofa to dining set and back is fast and easy with no tools or manipulation of hardware required. Although I have seen numerous attempts at transformable dining tables with benches (U.S.20120280539 struck me as especially impressive) and I have seen many coffee tables that rise and expand (usually with legs in the way) I can find no prior art that comes close to achieving the functions of both sofa and dining set as elegantly or as well as the proposed invention.

DESCRIPTION

The invention can be used as either a sofa (FIG. 1) or a dining table with chairs (FIG. 2).

As a sofa the embodiment of the invention described herein contains individual upholstered seating units that are lined up to form the elongated bench style seat. The embodiment has four such seating units but other embodiments may contain fewer or more. The seating is contained in a frame comprised of the two sofa end arms and a connecting back. When the frame is tilted up and unfolded it functions as a dining table. The individual seating units function as dining chairs when they are locked into a raised and upright position.

LIST OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1: View of the invention set in the sofa configuration.

FIG. 2: View of the invention set in the dining table and chairs configuration.

FIG. 3: Cross section of one of the seating units set in sofa configuration.

FIG. 4: Cross section of one of the seating units set in dining chair configuration.

FIG. 5: View of the standoff assembly.

FIG. 6: View of the base box/storage box of one of the seating units.

FIG. 7: View of the sofa frame/table with seating units removed. The arrows indicate how to tilt it forward 90 degrees into table position.

FIG. 8: View of the sofa frame/table standing in table position. The arrows indicate how to swivel the sofa arms/table legs 180 degrees into table position.

FIG. 9: View of the sofa frame/table standing in table position with sofa arms/table Legs in table position. The arrows indicate how to unfold table flap 180 degrees into table position.

FIG. 10: View of the sofa frame/table fully unfolded into dining table configuration.

THE SEATING UNITS

each seating unit contains an open-topped base box (11) which sits on the floor and supports the seat in both the sofa and dining chair positions. This base box also provides storage space which can be accessed by lifting off the rest of the seating unit. An open- backed open-bottomed seat box (12) fits around and over the base box and can freely telescope up and down. This seat box is cushioned on top and covered with upholstery material. Two back support bars (13) are hinged to the lower rear of the seat box and allow the upholstered seat back (14) to swing between an angled rearward position and an upright forward position. The angled rearward position is maintained when the seating unit is being used as part of the sofa. A cutaway of a seating unit in sofa mode is seen in FIG. 3. With the seat back in the upright forward position an effectively shorter seat with an upright back is achieved. This is desired for the dining chair mode as seen in cutaway in FIG. 4.

The height of the seat box and back assembly changes from a lower height in sofa mode to higher in dining chair mode. The seat is supported at both heights by the standoff assembly (FIG. 5) which sits on top of the base box (FIG. 6) and directly under the top of the seat box. In FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 the standoff assembly is shaded to show clearly how it is positioned in both sofa and dining chair modes.

The standoff assembly is composed of two forward standoff bars (15) and two rear standoff bars (16) which are attached to the standoff plate (17) by means of standoff blocks (18). The outside sides of all four standoff bars and all four standoff blocks are flush to the side edges of the standoff plate. The standoff assembly is connected to the back support bars with two standoff assembly links (19). The standoff assembly freely slides forward and back and is loosely held against the underside of the seat box by two retaining bars (20). These retaining bars are positioned to also act as stops which prevent the standoff assembly from sliding too far rearward.

The shapes of the standoff bars allow them to interlock with the contours of the base box sides in both the sofa and dining chair modes. As a sofa the standoff assembly is in a rearward position with the forward standoff bars locking at the low height with the deep contours of the base box. In sofa mode all four standoff blocks rest on the top edge of the base box sides.

In dining chair mode the standoff assembly is in the forward position with the rear standoff bars locked in the shallow notches of the base box at the higher height. In dining chair mode the forward standoff bars rest on the top edge of the base box sides.

OPERATION OF SEATING UNITS

To change from sofa to dining chair mode the seat box is lifted high enough from the base box to disengage the forward standoff bars and give the standoff assembly clearance to move forward. Pulling the seat back forward pushes the standoff assembly forward and the seat box can be lowered to lock at dining chair height with an upright seat back and a shorter seating depth.

To change from dining chair to sofa mode the seat box is lifted slightly to disengage the rear standoff bars. While lifted the seat back is pushed back and the standoff assembly is pulled rearward and the seat can be lowered to lock at the sofa height with an angled seat back and a longer seating depth.

SOFA FRAME/TABLE

When used as a sofa the seating units in sofa mode are lined up side by side inside the sofa frame (FIG. 7). The sofa frame consists of two sofa arm/table leg boxes (21) each of which is connected to the inner sofa back/table top (22) by means of a pivot joint (23). Changing the sofa frame to a dining table is accomplished by first removing the seating units from inside the frame. The next step is to tilt the entire frame forward 90 degrees so that the surfaces that were the sofa arm fronts of the sofa arm/table leg boxes are now the table leg bottoms (FIG. 8). Now pivot the sofa arm/table leg boxes 180 degrees in the horizontal plane (FIG. 9). The pivot joint is so located that the sofa arm/table leg boxes are now in a centered and recessed position in the dining table when the outer sofa back/table top flap (24) is opened (FIG. 10).

To change from dining table to sofa frame close the table top flap, pivot the arm/leg boxes back 180 degrees and tilt the entire unit back to sofa position. Insert seating units into the frame. 

1. A multi-function furniture item configurable as either a sofa or a dining table with separate chairs comprising: A plurality of individual seating units and a frame Wherein said seating units are each comprised of a storage box base over which a variable height horizontal seating surface telescopes up and down. When in sofa configuration the seating surface is low and when in dining chair configuration the seating surface is higher. Wherein a back support is attached to said seating surface by means of a pivot or hinge and can be held in either a forward upright position when the seating unit is in the dining chair configuration or in a rearward inclined position when the seating unit is in the sofa configuration. Wherein the seat height of each seating unit is determined by a plurality of standoffs Which can be engaged or disengaged by pivoting said back support forward or rearward. These standoffs also lock the back support forward and upright or rearward and inclined. Wherein when in sofa configuration the seating units are placed in a row, side by side, within the frame which is comprised of: Two boxes which form the sofa arms when in sofa configuration and which when tilted forward ninety degrees said boxes also form the table legs when in dining table configuration. The frame is also comprised of two rectangular panels that are joined to each other with hinges. In sofa configuration said panels are folded together face to face in a vertical plane and form the back of the sofa against which the backs of the seating units rest. The sofa arm boxes are joined to the inner one of these panels by pivots which hold the outer face of the sofa arm boxes flush with the vertical ends of both panels. In dining table configuration the sofa arm boxes and the attached panels are tilted forward ninety degrees and the sofa arm boxes are pivoted one hundred and eighty degrees in the horizontal plane to be positioned as table legs which are recessed from all edges of the table top. The table top is formed when the outer sofa back panel is unfolded from the inner sofa back panel. Both panels in dining table configuration are coplanar and horizontal. 